Presently, an average automobile could be equipped with more electronic features than a number of buttons and rotary dials, and consequently a collective interface equipped with a single touch screen and few buttons has been utilized in order to adequately account for all the control needs of a motor vehicle. The collective interface could generally be referred to as an “in-vehicle electronic system” but could also be identified by other labels such as an infotainment system, an in-car entertainment system, or a head unit. These features could range from basic automotive features such as the climate control, radio station tuning, music player control, to more non-basic features such as telephone functions, text messaging, internet surfing, GPS navigational system, satellite radio, rear view camera activation, night vision assistance, gaming systems, television services, and so forth. The in-vehicle electronic system may in fact be used to control and display almost everything on the vehicle including even features which are traditionally operated by buttons or switches external to the in-vehicle electronic system such as controls for seat adjustments or sun roofs.
However, at this point in time, the processing hardware of an average smart phone would out-perform most in-vehicle electronic systems as a smart phone would possess more computing powers. A smart phone could also host a higher quantity of non-basic features and applications than an in-vehicle electronic system and is usually equipped with 3G which could be utilized to download various applications. Instead of purchasing a vehicle with all the functions and features which would have been readily available in one's a smart phone, a technology has recently been developed to enable a consumer to plug one's smart phone into one's in-vehicle electronic system in order to extend its functionality by harnessing the functions and features which already exists in the smart phone.
FIG. 1 illustrates a mobile electronic device 102 interacting with an in-vehicle electronic system 101. The in-vehicle electronic system 101 would normally be situated in the upper part of the center of the dashboard in the front row of a vehicle and right next to a steering wheel 103 and in between the front side driver's seat 104 and the front side passenger's seat 105. The in-vehicle electronic system 101 would include a display panel 111 integrated in the upper part of the center of the dashboard. The display panel would typically be a liquid crystal display (LCD) and would span between 6 to 12 inches in width, and the display panel 111 could be coupled with capacitive input sensor to form a touch screen. Through a hierarchical menu displayed on the display panel 111, soft buttons, knobs, and dials could be used to replace mechanical switches. However, below the display panel 111, there may still be a control interface 112 to provide controls such that a user may turn off the display panel 111 and still control functions and features within a vehicle or to operate vehicular control functions when the display panel 111 is used as a proxy viewing device by an external host such as when the display panel 111 is used to interact with a mobile electronic device 102. The control interface 112 which provides interface functions to a user would typically include hardware inputs such as buttons, switches, knobs, and dials.
When a mobile electronic device 102 is plugged into the in-vehicle electronic system 101, the operating system of the in-vehicle electronic system 101 would usually switch the in-vehicle electronic system 101 to a remote viewing mode or an alternative operating mode which would essentially in some way synchronize the control and the display between the mobile electronic device 102 and the in-vehicle electronic system 101. When the mobile electronic 102 device is unplugged from the in-vehicle electronic system 101, the operating system of the in-vehicle electronic system 101 would resume its normal operation.
When an in-vehicle electronic system 101 interacts with a mobile electronic device 102, the interaction may proceed according to a predefined protocol. The protocol could be a customized protocol which is unique for each manufacturer, or otherwise the protocol could be a standardized protocol which could allow different brands of smart phones to be plugged into in-vehicle electronic systems produced by different manufacturers. One standardized protocol could be for example the MirrorLink standard which has been established by the automotive industry teaming up with consumer electronics to form the Car Connectivity Consortium on March, 2011.
Besides the potential difficulties of forming standards ahead, the integration between a mobile electronic device and an in-vehicle electronic system could pose another challenge which is related to the issue of driver distraction. With various entertaining applications accessible to a driver through one's mobile electronic device, the driver could be operating a motor vehicle with divided attention or even taking one's eyes off the road. According to more recent studies done on driving safety, it has been discovered that when a driver looks at the screen of the in-vehicle electronic system rather than the road, the driver is more prone to traffic accidents according to an exponentially increasing probability.
Moreover, many countries in the world have already passed laws prohibiting a driver from speaking on a phone or using text messages while driving. In the United States, many states and territories have banned the use of mobile phones while driving, and even more states have banned text messaging for drivers. Meanwhile, debates ensue as for how to regulate and limit the contents of potentially distracting applications accessible to one's in-vehicle electronic system. Therefore, when a driver elects to use one's mobile electronic device in conjunction with one's in-vehicle electronic system, additional safety measures could be adopted in order to curtail various distractions which may divide one's driving attention, but while certain features could still be made accessible so that one may take advantage of some functions and features of one's mobile electronic device without getting sidetracked by the various distractions when driving.